Sparking paper rupture toy weapon



Aug; s, 1939.

A. N. SMITH 2,168,4'54

SPARKING PAPER RUPTRE TOY WEAPON Filed -MaICh 5, 1937 v z sneets-sheet 1 INVENTOR v Anlhony N. Smz'fh.

ATTORNEYS Aug. 8, 1939. A. N. sMn'H SPARKING PAPER RUPTURE TOY WEAPON.

Filed March 5, 1937' 2 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR Anl/zong N. .Smz'lh ATTORNEY? Patented Aug. 8, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SPARKING PAPER RUPTURE TOY WEAPON Application March 5, 1937, Serial No. 129,155

13 Claims.

This invention relates to toy weapons and more particularly to a sparking paper rupture toy gun.

The primary object of my invention is to generallyimprove toy weapons, especially toy guns simulating a submachine gun or the like. A more particularobject is to provide a toy gun which will combine the advantages 'of' paper rupture mechanism, such as safety, economy, and the production of a loud percussive report, together l with the advantages of sparking mechanism such asthe heightened realism attendant upon the discharge of a shower of sparks at the muzzle of the gun.

Some of the more specic objects of my invention center about the paper roll of the gun, and

in accordance with my invention the paper roll is wholly concealed within the simulated barrel of the gun, this being conveniently done by dis-` posing the paper rupture mechanism itself within ...an elongated compartment or barrel mount subjacent the barrel. Access to the paper roll is obtained by cutting away a part of the barrel, and the resulting 'opening is closed by a door or closure which simulates a part of the barrel'of the gun.

Other objects of my invention center about the sparking mechanism and particularly the mounting of the pyrophoric element which for brevity and convenience may be referred to as a flint. The flint is mounted on a small plate and is passed through an opening in the barrel of the gun until the plate rests on a part of the barrel. A simulated gun` sight is slidably mounted on the barrel and may be slid over the plate, thus `locking the flint firmly in position. By moving the sight away from the plate, the flint and plate are readily removed and replaced.

Still, another object of my invention concerns the simulated magazine of the gun. A common l,type of submachine gun includes a magazine which is circular in configuration and which is disposed beneath and transversely of the barrel of the gun. Because of this the lateral dimension of the gun is large and it is inconvenient to pack lthe toy for economical shipment and sale. In accordance with still another object and feature of my invention, the magazine is detachably applied to the gun and is readily removed' when packaging the gun, so that it may be placed with its large dimension parallel to instead of transversely of the gun. With this arrangement the complete gun may be packed in a relatively thin flat carton of compact dimension.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and `other objects which will hereinafter appear, my

invention consists in the toy weapon elements and their relation one to the other as hereinafter are more particularly described in the specication and sought to be deined in the claims. The specification is accompanied by drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a toy weapon ern-v bodying features of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken Vation through the toy;

Fig. 3 is a partially sectioned plan View of the toy;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken in the plane of the line 4 4 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken in the plane of the line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, the toy weapon as here illustrated simulates a submachine gun and comprises a barrel B, a subjacent barrel mount M, a stock S, a handle H, a pistol grip G, a trigger T, and a simulated ammunitionmagazineA. The desired percussive report is produced by paper rupture mechanism generally designated R, the said mechanism preferably `being disposed 'in the barrel mount portion of the gun body, and sparking or flash-producing mechanism generally desig-V nated F, said sparking mechanism preferably being disposed inthe barrel B-near the muzzle of the gun. The paper rupture mechanism R is operated by the trigger T, and the sparking mecha nism F is simultaneously operated by reason of connecting means C extending from the sparking mechanism through the barrel of the gun tothe paper rupture mechanism. The barrel B also functions tohouse and conceal the paper supply roll P which is conveniently located immediatelyabove the paper rupture mechanism.

in ele- Considering the arrangement in greater detail, f

the paper rupture mechanism R is generally like that. disclosed and claimed in my copending application Serial No.-l08,161,fled` October-'29, 1936.` Said mechanism, comprises a piston l2 reciprocable in a cylinder I4. Piston I2 is mounted at the forward endof a piston rod I6 extend-V ing rearwardly from the piston and surrounded by a compression spring I8 which functions to shoot the piston forwardly within the cylinder upon operation of the trigger. The trigger is pivoted on a pin 20 mounted in frame 22. A cam element 24 is pivoted on trigger T by means of a pin 2t. The counter-clockwise movement of cam element 24 is limited by .a stop` 28, and the cam element is normally moved against stop 28 by` aV suitable spring wiref3l). As trigger T is drawn rearwardly intopistolgrip G, the, cam 24 rides against a cam follower 32 secured to piston rod I6. The piston rod is forced rearwardly by cam element 24 until near the end of the trigger stroke, at which time the cam follower 32 reaches an escape passage 34 on the cam element, where" upon the cam follower is free to move forwardly through the cam element, and consequently the piston rod and piston are impelled 'to their forward position by compression spring I8.

A strip of paper 36 is fed downwardly and forwardly from paper roll P to a paper guide 31 with which cooperates a stationary resilient holding dog 38 and a paper feed dog 40, the latter being mounted on the paper guide at 4|. The paper is guided downwardly by the paper guide between a paper clamping ring 42, movable with the paper guide, and a rubber collar 44 stationarily mounted at the discharge outlet of cylinder |4. Paper clamping ring 42 is supported and guided byfelongated rearwardly extending guide links 46 one of which is disposed on each side of cylinder I4. Guide links 46 are connected at their rear ends' by a pin 48 which passes through a slot 50 cut through piston rod |6. The guide links are normally urged forwardly by a wire spring 52. The arrangement is such that as the piston rod I6 is drawn rearwardly by the trigger, it simultaneously pulls guide links 46 rearwardly at the pin 48, thereby clamping the paper tightly between rubber collar 44 and clamping ring 42. At the end of the trigger stroke when cam follower 32 reaches the escape passage 34, the guide links 46 are held against forward movement by stop means 54 mounted on the trigger and in the present case `forming a part of cam element 24. Stop means 54 comes in front of pin 48 and thus prevents forward movement thereof. This insures tight sealing of the paper against the air discharge outlet of the cylinder during the sudden forward movement of the piston. The latter movement is permitted because of the lost motion connection afforded by slot 50. As the trigger is released, the stop 54 moves downwardly away from and releases pin 48, thereby permitting the guide links 46 and `the sealing ring to move forwardly under the influence of spring 52. Paper guide 31 is mounted on and moves forwardly with the sealing ring 42, and the feed dog 40 functions to unroll a new length of paper from the paper roll P. As the trigger is again drawn, the holding dog 38 holds the paper against rearward movement and consequently a new section of paper is clamped by the clamping ring 42.

'I'he sparking or flash-producing mechanism F Vcomprises a pyrophoric element or flint 60 the lower end of which is rubbed by a suitable abrasive element 62. The flint 60 is secured at its upper end to a small mounting plate 64 having a rearwardly extending bent portion 66. 'I'he barrel of the gun is cut away at 68 to form an opening through which the flint is readily passed. The part 66 of the plate then rests on a part of the gun barrel, and this isl preferably stepped downwardly slightly, as indicated at 10, in order to bring the top of the plate flush with the top of the barrel. A slide 12 is mounted on top of the barrel, it being held in position and guided by lugs 14, best shown in Fig. 3. The forward endY of slide 12 may be bent upwardly to form a handle 16, and this is preferably so shaped as to simulate a forward gun sight. The slide12 may be moved to the forward position shown in the drawings, at which time it overlies the plate 66 and thus holds the flint 60 firmly in position. By 'moving the slide rearwardly to the dotted line position 16 in Fig. 2, the plate 66 may be uncovered and thus readily removed and replaced, as when the flint has been worn-away. The abrasive element 62 resembles a short length of steel file or the like, and is secured at its rear end 18 to the forward end of a channel-shaped member 80. 'I'he latter extends through the barrel over the paper roll, and at its rear end 82 is secured to the upper end 84 of a rigid angle-piece 86 the lower end 88 of which is xedly secured to the rear end 90 of piston rod I6. The latter projects rearwardly from frame 22 even when in forward position as shown in Fig. 2. The clearance within the gun body behind the angle-piece 86 is adequate to accommodate the stroke of the mechanism.

The abrasive element 62 is guided by means of a small frame 90 the upper edges of the side walls of which are formed into the tongues 14 previously referred to, the said tongues passing upwardly through the barrel and around the slide 12, as is best shown in Fig. 5. The connecting member passes between the side walls of frame and is guided thereby. The bottom wall of frame 90 is slit to receive the rear end of a leaf spring 92, as is best shown in Fig. 2. The forward end of spring 92 rests beneath and bears upwardly against the abrasive element 62, thus holding the same in the desired frictional engagement with the flint 60.

The paper roll P is mounted on a support pin 94 one end of which is riveted at 96 (Fig. 4) to a support plate 98, while the other end is free to receive the paper roll. The barrel is cut away at one side for access to the paper roll, as is indicated at |00 in Figs. 2 and 4. The resulting opening is covered by a closure |02, this closure being so shaped as to simulate and mate with the barrel. Specifically, the simulated cooling ribs |04 (Fig. 1) of the barrel are also provided on the closure |02. The closure may be secured to th-e barrel in any suitable manner, and in the present case this result is accomplished by making the closure more than semicylindrical in extent, as is most clearly shown in broken lines at |02 in Fig. 4. With this construction the closure must be spread or sprung over the barrel when replacing the same, and the closure is thereafter held securely in position because of its own resillent grip on the barrel. The desired springiness is obtained while using thin sheet metal, because of the stiffening effect produced by the simulated cooling ribs previously referred to.

The ammunition magazine A is rather large in diameter, as will be evident from consideration of Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings. Except for the magazine A, the gun is small in lateral dimension and can be packed in a flat compact carton. In accordance with the present invention the magazine is detachably mounted on the gun. Thus, referring to Fig. 4, the magazine may be detached and moved downwardly away from the gun, as from the solid-line position A to the broken-line position A. More specifically, it will be seen that the magazine is notched or cut' away at |06 to just receive the barrel mount M. The sheet metal of the magazine is ridged or beaded outwardly at |08 on a line following the contour of the opening cut through the magazine, thus stiffening the sheet metal at this point. At the bottom of barrel mount M, I provide an inverted U-shaped spring 0, best shown in Fig. 2, the center portion of which is secured to the gun body by an eyelet ||2. The end portions are suitably bent to mate with the beads |08. It

will be manifest that with this construction the simulated magazine may be pushed upwardly around the barrel mount M until it is locked in position. The parts may be additionally locked together, as by the use of beads formed on the side walls of the barrel mount, said beads cooperating with the mating parts of the magazine near the upper edge thereof. (See Figs. 1 and 4.)

a The construction of the remaining parts of the toy weapon is evident from examination of the drawings and probably requires no detailed description. The breech or ribbedr portion of the barrel and the side walls of the subjacent barrel mount' are formed of a single piece of sheet metal. Similarly the muzzle portion of the barrel and the side walls of the subjacent barrel mount are formed of a single downwardly bent piece of sheet metal, as will be evident from in- 2()` spection of Fig. 5. 'I'hese two parts of the gun are secured together by appropriate tongue and slot connections best shown at ||6 in Fig. 2. As so far described the gun body is open at the bottom, but the bottom is closed by a flanged g5 plate ||8 between the t'rigger and the forward wall of the magazine A, and'is further closed by a flanged plate |20 extending from a point in front of the discharged paper strip |22 to the muzzle |24 of the gun. These bottom plates are held in place not only by their flanged edges but also by bent tongues |2| formed on the side walls of the barrel mount. In effect the bottom wall is cut away just in front of the magazine A in order to form an opening through which the used paper strip |22 is discharged. In the present case this opening is formed by interrupting the strip so that two separate bottom strips ||8 and |20 are employed. The handle H is formed of sheet metal and is secured to bottom plate |20 by .means of appropriate tongue and slot connectionsl |26.

The stock S is preferably made of wood and is secured between rearwardly extending metal arms |28, the said arms preferably being formed integrally with a back plate |30 having appropriate tongues and forwardly extending arms |32 and |34, whereby the back plate and stock are strongly secured to the gun body.

Therpaper rupture mechanism is secured to the barrel mount by means of tongue and slot connections, there being a group of connections |35 (Fig. 1) at the forward end or cylinder |4 and another group of connections |38 at the rear end or Vframe 22. The parts of the paper rupture mrnechanism thus act as spacers and st'rengthen and rigidify the otherwise hollow barrel mount. The pistol grip G- preferably forms a part of and is-secured tothe frame 22 of the paper rupture mechanism.

E The muzzle of the gun is preferably cut away to form windows which expose the shower of sparks produced by the sparking mechanism F.

This feature will be evident from inspection of the drawings.

, It is believed that the construction and operation of my improved toy weapon, as well as the many advantages thereof, will be apparent from the foregoing detailed description thereof. 'I'he toy simulates a submachine gun of the portable ,or shoulder type. A loud percussive 'report is obtained without any of the danger attendant i upon the use of fireworks or explosives. Theammunition or paper is, of course, inexpensive and readily available. The realism of the toy `is venhanced by the shower of sparks produced at the muzzle. Heretofore, paper rupture guns have been marred in appearance by exposure of the paper roll, but in the present case the paper roll is protectively housed and thoroughly concealed wtihin the barrel of t'he gun. At the same time it is readily accessible for replacement, and the closure is inexpensive and altogether inconspicuous due to the manner in which it forms a part of the gun barrel. The flint is well-supported in position, yet is instantly available for replacement. The door which provides access to the flint simulates a gun sight. The spark-producing mechanism and the paper rupture mechanism are interconnected by simple connection means extending through the barrel of the gun. The disposition of the paper roll and the connection means in the barrel of the gun is made possible by building the paper rupture mechanism into the compartment or barrel mount subjacent the barrel. The gun includes a simulated arnmunition magazine which extends transversely of the gun and yet' which does not interfere with economical compact packing of the gun because it is made readily detachable from the gun body, so that the parts may bepacked in flat condition.

It will bo apparent that while I have shown and described my invention in. a preferred form, many changes and modifications may be made in the structure disclosed, without departing from the spirit of the invention, defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A toy gun comprising a barrel, a subjacent barrel mount, a trigger, paper rupture mechanism disposed in the barrel mount, said mechanism including a cylinder, piston, and piston rod extending longitudinally of the gun, a paper roll for supplying paper to said paper rupture mechanism, said paper roll being located above the paper rupture mechanism and within the barrel of the gun and being concealed by the barrel of the gun, whereby the paper is fed downwardly across rone end of the cylinder and downwardly out of the gun, spark-producing mechanism disposed in the barrel of the' gun near the muzzle end thereof, said mechanism including a part movable longitudinally of the gun for ejecting sparks at the muzzle of the gun, and means extending through the barrel of the gun for connecting said longitudinally movable part of the sparking mechanism to the piston rod of said paper rupture mechanism. l

2. A toy gun comprising a gun body simulating a submachine gun, said gun body including a barrel, a subjacent barrel mount, a stock, a handle, a pistol grip, and a trigger, paper rupture mechanism including a cylinder extending in the direction of the barrel of the gun, a piston, `a

`piston rod extending rearwardly from the piston, means connected to said trigger for operating said piston, paper feed mechanism, and paper clamping mechanism for clamping the paper against a discharge outlet at the forward lend soir m-fr

3. A toy gun comprising a gun body simulating a submachine gun, said gun body including a barrel, a subjacent barrel mount, a stock, a handle, a pistol grip, and a trigger, paper rupture mechanism disposed in the barrel mount portion of said gun body, said mechanism including a cylinder, a piston, and a piston rod extending longitudinally of the gun, means for operating said piston, paper feed mechanism, and paper clamping mechanism ,for clamping the paper against the discharge outlet of the cylinder, a paper roll for supplying paper to said paper rupture mechanism, said paper roll being located above the paper rupture mechanism within the barrel of the gun and being concealed by the barrel of the gun, whereby the paper is fed downwardly across one end of the cylinder and downwardly out of the gun, spark-producing mechanism disposed in the bai'- rel of the gun near the muzzle end thereof, said -mechanism including a flint and an abrasive strip, said flint and strip being relatively movable longitudinally of the gun to eject sparks at the muzzle of the gun, and means extending through the barrel of the gun for connecting said sparking mechanism to said paper rupture mechanism in order to provide simultaneous operation of both.

4. A toy gun comprising a barrel, paper rupture mechanism, and a paper roll for supplying .paper to said paper rupture mechanism, said paper roll being located within and concealed by the barrel of the gun, said barrel being cut away at the paper roll for access thereto, and a door for closing said opening, said door comprising a more than semicylindrical piece of sheet metal shaped closely about a cylinder like the barrel of the gun and adapted by reason of its cylinderconforming configuration to be sprung over the barrel of the gun at the paper roll.

5. A toy gun comprising a gun body simulating a submachine gun, said gun body including a barrel, a subjacent barrel mount, a stock, a handle, a pistol grip, and a trigger, paper rupture mechanism including a cylinder, a piston, means for operating said piston, paper feed mechanism, and paper clamping mechanism for clamping the paper against the discharge outlet of the cylinder, and a paper roll for supplying paper to said paper rupture mechanism, said paper roll being located within and concealed by the barrel of the gun, said barrel being cut away at the paper roll for access thereto, and a door for closing said opening, said door comprising a more than semicylindrical piece of sheet metal shaped closely about ra cylinderlike the barrel of the gun and adapted by reason of its cylinder-conforming conguration to be sprung over the barrel of the gun at the paper roll.

6. In a toy gun, spark-producing mechanism disposed in the barrel of the gun near the muzzle thereof, said spark-producing mechanism including a ilint mounted on a small plate and passing into the barrel through an opening therein with the plate resting on a part of the barrel, and means slidably mounted on the barrel and movable over said plate in order to hold the flint in position, said flint being removable for replacement by sliding the aforesaid means away from the plate.

7. In a toy gun, noise-producing mechanism disposed near vthe breech of the gun, spark-producing mechanism disposed in the barrel of the gun near the muzzle thereof, and means connecting said spark-producing mechanism to said noise-producing mechanism for simultaneous operation, said spark-producing mechanism including a flint mounted on a small plate and passing into the barrelthrough an opening therein with the plate resting on a part of the barrel, and a simulated sight slidably mounted on the barrel and movable over said plate in order to hold the ilint in position, said flint being removable for replacement by sliding the sight away from the plate, and abrasive means in contact with the ilint.

8. In a toy gun, spark-producing mechanism disposed in the barrel of the gun near the muzzle thereof, said mechanism including a flint passing into the barrel through an opening therein, a door slidably mounted on the outside of the barrel and movable over said opening, said flint being removable for replacement by sliding the aforesaid door away from the opening, an abrasive element, a support disposed within the barrel for supporting said abrasive element, said support being mounted in position by means of tongues passing through the barrel, and the outer ends of said tongues functioning to slidably hold the aforesaid door on the outside of the barrel.

9. In a toy gun, spark-producing mechanism disposed in the barrel of the gun near the muzzle thereof, said mechanism including a flint mounted on a small plate and passing into the barrel through an opening therein, with the plate resting on a part of the barrel, means slidably mounted on the outside of the barrel and movable over said plate in order to hold the flint in position, said flint being removable for replacement by sliding the aforesaid means away from the plate, an elongated abrasive element disposed longitudinally of the barrel and reciprocable therein, a guide disposed within the barrel for supporting and guiding said abrasive element, said guide being mounted in position by means of tongues passing through the barrel, and the outer ends of said tongues functioning to slidably hold the aforesaid slidable means on the outside of the barrel.

10. In a toy gun, noise-producing mechanism disposed near the breech of the gun, spark-producing mechanism disposed in the barrel of the gun near the muzzle thereof, and means connecting said spark-producing mechanism to said noise-producing mechanism for simultaneous operation, said spark-producing mechanism including a ilint, an elongated abrasive element disposed longitudinally of the barrel and reciprocable therein, a frame in said barrel near the flint for guiding said element, and a leaf spring mounted on said frame and bearing against said element in order to urge the same into contact with the flint.

11. In a toy gun, noise-producing mechanism disposed near the breech of the gun, spark-producing mechanism disposed in the barrel of the gun near the muzzle thereof, and means connecting said spark-producing mechanism to said noise-producing mechanism for simultaneous operation, said spark-producing mechanism including a flint mounted on a small plate and passing into the barrel through an opening therein with the plate resting on a part of the barrel, and a simulated sight slidably mounted on the barrel and movable over said plate in order to hold the ilint locked in position, said flint being removable for replacement by sliding the sight away from the plate, an elongated abrasive element disposed longitudinally of the barrel and reciprocable therein, a frame in said barrel near the flint for guiding said element, and a leaf spring mounted on said frame and bearing against said element in order to urge the same into contact with the flint.

12. A toy gun comprising a barrel, a subjacent barrel mount, a trigger, paper rupture mechanism including a cylinder, a piston, a piston rod extending rearwardly from said piston, the rear end of said piston rod projecting out of the rear end of the paper rupture mechanism, spark-producing mechanism disposed in the barrel of the gun near the muzzle end thereof, and means extending through the barrel of the gun for connecting said spark-producing mechanism to the aforesaid rearwardly projecting end of the piston rod in order to provide simultaneous operation of both.

13. A toy gun comprising a gun body simulating a submachine gun, said gun body including a barrel, a subjacent barrel mount, a stock, a handle, a pistol grip, and a trigger, paper rupture mechanism disposed in the barrel mount portion of said gun body, said mechanism including a cylinder disposed longitudinally of the gun, a piston, a Vpiston rod extending rearwardly from said piston, a compression spring for impelling the piston and piston rod forwardly at the end of the trigger stroke, the rear end of said piston rod projecting out of the rear end of the paper rupture mechanism, paper feed mechanism, and paper clamping mechanism for clamping the paper against the discharge outlet ofthe cylinder, a concealed paper roll for supplying paper to said paper rupture mechanism, said paper roll being located above the paper rupture mechanism and within the barrel of the gun and being concealed by the barrel of the gun, sparkproducing mechanism disposed in the barrel of the gun near the muzzle end thereof, and means 

